Baby carbiage



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. HERZ. BABY CARRIAGE.

No. 468,342. Patented Peb. 9, 11892.

(No Model.) A s sheetssheet 2.`

M. HERZ. BABY CARRIAGE.

No. 468,342. Patented Feb. 9, 1892.

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wm @KM (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

HERZ. BABY CARRIAGE.

"1410. 468,342. Patented Peb. 9, 1892.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN HERZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BABY-CARRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,342, dated February9,1892.

Application filed October 2, 1891. Serial No. 407.505. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARTIN HERZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baby-Oarriages; andI do declare the 4following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in baby-carriages orperambulators of that class capable of being converted from a highcarriage to a low-down wagon or trundle.

The invention has for its object, among other things, to provide arunning-gear which may be folded into a comparatively fiat contour, sothat when the body of the carriage has been removed for house use therunninggear may be conveniently placed away in a closet or the like andoccupy but little space.

The invention further has for its object, to-

gether with cheapness of manufacture, the adaptation of devices for theadjustable attachment of a parasol rod or support and theinterchangeable reception of a removable handle for the body when usedas a trundle or wagon.

The invention also has for its object the enhancement of the beauty ofthe body or basket by providing the same with strips of celluloid, whichmay be of various colors, ac cording to the fancy, in imitation ofribbons, such as commonly employed in rattan and other bodies, saidCelluloid being applied in the manufacture of the carriage, as itsremoval by the purchaser becomes unnecessary owing to the fact that whenit becomes soiled it may be cleansed by a wet cloth or the like.

A further object of the invention is the economical and durable meanswhich I provide for securing the body to the runninggear, so that thechild therein may be allowed to be placed face or back to the directionof travel, which is very desirable in windy or sunny weather.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following descriptionand claims, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure lis a side elevation of my improved carriage with one setof- Wheels removed and their axles in section. Fig. 2 is an invertedplan View of the body with the gear removed. Fig. 3 1s a perspectiveview of one of the castings for sustaining the caster-rollers with aroller therein. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the gearing removed fromthe body and show- Ing the same in its normal position. Fig. 5 is afront elevation of the gear with the body removed. .the gear in a foldedposition. Fig. 7 is an Inverted plan view of one axle and springs withthe reach and side barspartly broken away. Fig. S is a rear elevation ofthe body removed from the gearing to be used as a wagon or trundle. Fig.9 is a perspective view of one of the castings, showing the same as amodification.

In the said drawings similar letters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views, referring to which-` A indicates thecarriage-body, which may be of wicker-work, rattan, or other suitablematerial, with the seat-box ce preferably formed from wood-veneer or thelike, although it may be formed from other suitable material. Thisseat-box is provided at suitable intervals with transversevertically-disposed slots Fig. 6 is an inverted plan View ofV b, whichare arranged in the sides and back,

as shown.

B indicates strips of celluloid, which may be red, blue, or othersuitable color; or, if desired, two or more colors may be used at thesame time. These strips of celluloid B are laced in the slots b of thebody, so as to have the appearance of ribbons, which are usually used toornament a carriage. The back wall of the body is provided with abracket C,

having a vertically-disposed eye for the interi, 1,

changeable receptionof the parasol rod-or holder D and the handle E andcarries'a locking-screw d, as shown. The bottom of the body is providedon its under side and near opposite outer ends or corners with castingsF, which are designed to serve the purpose of bearings for one end of ajournal-rod c, carrying wheels or rollers e, the outer ends of whichrods are supported in hangers f, Secured to the longitudinal edges ofthe body, as shown, and for the sake of ornamentation IOO a dependingstrip G of metal, which may be silver or nickel plated and of anyfanciful design, is secured to the side edges of the bottom.

.Iournaled in castings at the rear corners of the body, on its underside, are caster-wheels H, which assume a greater altitude than therollers or wheels e, so that the body must be tilted rearwardly beforethe caster-wheels will be broughtinto play, which are designed to serveas stops and guides for theeasy turningof the trundle or wagon. v

The castings in which the rollers H are journaled are better illustratedin Fig. 3 of the drawings and comprise a depending rectangular loop g,with an eye in its horizontal branch for the passage of the stem of thecaster-wheel, and a lateral branch h, having an eye k for t-he receptionof straps, strings, or other sustaining devices, as will be presentlydescribed.

A modification of this casting is illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings,by which I am enabled to dispense with a caster-wheel of the ordinaryconstruction and employ a plain roller for a similar purpose. Referringmore particularly to Fig. 9, it will be seen that I have provided threedepending hangers m, n, and o, having aligned apertures for thereception of a horizontal rod p, which is designed to serve the twofoldfunction of an axle for the roller I and a means of connection with thesprings K. This casting is also provided with holes for the reception offasteningscrews or the like, and is also provided with holes 1I atopposite ends, between the hangers m and n, for the attachment ofstraps, springs, or other devices for yieldingly sustaining the body onthe frame at one end of the carriage, and by having these holes atopposite ends of the casting they may be used in a reverse manner or ateither end of the carriage-body.V

The running-gear is provided with a single reach L, which has one endcurved rearwardly and upwardly and terminating in a handle M. Each axleis composed of two central sections N and P. These sections are jointedor pivoted at their inner ends to the reach L, and the joints arepreferably elbow-joints hav-A ing abutting shoulders q, so that whenopened to their fullest extent by the forward movement of the reach theywill assume transverse parallel positions. The outer ends of thesesections N and P are pivotally connected, as shown at r, with the innerends of the spindle-sections Q of the axles. These spindlesections carrythe supporting-wheels R and are secured to the under sides, near oppovsite ends of the side bars S, by means of clips T. The inner ends of thespindle-sections are beveled obliquely in opposite direction, as

, shown at s, which are designed when the running-gear has been openedto contact with a corresponding surface of beveled lugs t, fixed to orformed on the sections N and P at a suitable distance from their pivotalconnections with the spindle-sections of the axles. By this means itwill be seen that by pushing the reach rearwardly and pressing thewheels toward each other the side bars may fold closely against thereach and the axles assume the positions shown in Fig. 6 of thedrawings, While when this movement is reversed and the reach pushedforwardly the axles will be extended laterally and locked in the-position shown in Fig. 7. The side bars S, which connect thespindle-sections of the axles, have secured to their forward endsupwardly and rearwardly bowed springs K, the upper ends of whichterminate in hooks u to receive the rods p of the castings for therollers H, although when these castings are arranged on the front underside of the body the caster-wheels are not of course employed.

The body is provided on its under side, in its longitudinal center, withslotted plates U, the slots of which project, respectively, from thefront and rear ends of the body. The plate at the front end of the bodyis designed to receive a snap V on the lower end of a spring W, theopposite end of which is secured to a screw-eye or the like arranged onthe handle portion of the reach for yieldingly sustaining said end ofthe body on the gear-frame when the body has been reversed, while theplate on the opposite end of the body not only serves to receive thesnap, as described, but

' also receives and firmly seats the lower angular end of the handle-rodE when the body is used as a trundle, as better shown in Fig. 8 of thedrawings.

While I have shown and described the rear portion of the body assustained by the springs W, yet it is obvious that straps or other'suitable means might be employed, and when the ordinary folding framehaving a double reach `and double handle-bars is used the eyes on theends of the castings carrying the rollers will serve to receive one endof said straps, which may be crossed, if desired, and the opposite endssecured to the handle-bars.

In operation when it is desired to remove the body from the running-gearit is simply necessary to unhook the springs K from the rods p anddetach the snap V from the slotted plate at the opposite end, when thebody may be lifted oif and placed upon the floor bearing upon itsrollers e. The parasol-rod, which of course is not necessary to useindoors, is then removed from the eye of the bracket C and the rod Epassed through said eye and seated at its lower end in the slot of therear plate U, after which the locking-screw d may be turned so as tosecure said handle in the bracket, when the running-gear may be foldedin the position shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings and placed away until itis desired to use the carriage outdoors again. As

before mentioned, when it is desirable to have the child face the nurseor attendant the body .IOO

IIO

is placed upon the running-gear in a reverse manner, the snap taken intothe slotted plate at the front of the body, and the springs K hookedinto the rods or bolts p at the rear of the body.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Afoldingcarriage-gear consisting, essentially, of two axles formed from theparts N and P, hinged at their inner ends and carrying the lugs t neartheir outer ends, the spindle-sections Q, having their inner ends cutobliquely to engage said lugs, the side bars secured to thespindle-sections, and the combined reach and handle pivotally connectedat the inner joint of the respective axle-sections N and P and adaptedto operate substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the axles composed of two spindle-sections andtwo hinged inner sections pivoted at their outer ends to saidspindle-sections, of the side bars secured to the spindle-sections, thebowed springs having their upper ends terminating in hooks and securedto the forward ends of the side bars, and a single reach pivotallyconnected to the hinged ends of the inner sections of the axles andterminating in a handle-bar, substantially as specified.

3. The carriage-body mounted upon rollers and also having caster-wheelsor smaller rollers at its rear corners, in combination with the slottedplates at thc front and rear side thereof, the springs having theirupperends terminating inl hooks 'and secured to the frame of therunning-gear, and a suitable means for connecting the springs to thebody and one of the slotted plates to the handlebar, substantiallyasspecied.

4. The casting having the three depending hangers, in combination withthe rod or bolt passing through the same and adapted to sustain a rollerbetween two of the hangers and also receive the hooked end of acarriagespring, substantially as specified.

5. The casting described, formed from a single piece and having threedepending hangers and also having the eyes at opposite ends of its topin a longitudinal plane, in combination with a bolt or rod passingthrough holes in the hangers and adapted to serve as a journal for aroller and also as a means for receiving the hooked end of acarriage-spring, substantially as specified.

6. The carriage-body slotted, as described, in combination With thestrips of celluloid laced in the slots, substantially as specified.

7. The removable body provided with rollers and adapted to `be removedfrom the running-gear, in combination with the slotted plate at the rearlower' side of the body, the bracket also secured to the rear side abovethe slotted plate and carrying a bindingscrew, and the removable handleadapted to pass through the eye of the bracket and seat at its lower endin the slot of the plate, substantially as Speoied.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN HERZ. iVitnesses: 4

BERNARD ADLER, MARK C. ADLER.

